The real Dark Skies Tenerife Stargazing Experiences – Amazing experiences under amazing skieshttp://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk
Thu, 05 Sep 2019 13:32:23 +0000en-GB
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1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.2.3https://i2.wp.com/www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cropped-dst_experiences_logo-1.png?fit=32%2C32The real Dark Skies Tenerife Stargazing Experiences – Amazing experiences under amazing skieshttp://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk
3232118083765Deep sky wondershttp://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/09/05/deep-sky-wonders/
http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/09/05/deep-sky-wonders/#respondThu, 05 Sep 2019 13:32:17 +0000http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/?p=5531When we’re not taking people up the mountain I sometimes get the opportunity to do some deep sky imaging and recently I had a go at two of the best, The Eagle Nebula made famous by Hubble’s close up of the pillars of creation where stars are being born and The Helix Nebula, also known … Continue reading "Deep sky wonders"

]]>When we’re not taking people up the mountain I sometimes get the opportunity to do some deep sky imaging and recently I had a go at two of the best, The Eagle Nebula made famous by Hubble’s close up of the pillars of creation where stars are being born and The Helix Nebula, also known as “The eye of God”. They’re both too faint to see well in anything but a very large telescope and it takes long exposures with a camera to bring out the amazing colours. We’ve noticed that it’s been much busier up the mountain this year as astro-tourism grows in popularity, fortunately we have access to some secluded spots where we can get away from the headlights, head torches and flashlights that are blighting the main viewing areas in Las Canadas, otherwise it would be a lot harder to get such pictures.
The Eagle NebulaThe Helix Nebula

]]>http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/09/05/deep-sky-wonders/feed/05531Hot on the mountainhttp://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/08/19/hot-on-the-mountain/
http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/08/19/hot-on-the-mountain/#respondMon, 19 Aug 2019 03:36:09 +0000http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/?p=5520There’s a bit of a heatwave on the south coast at the moment and that has transferred up the mountain too. At 1800m (nearly 500m higher than Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain) it was 25c. At 1am! Fabulous! The sky low down is dusty and hazy and sunset was subdued compared to normal … Continue reading "Hot on the mountain"

]]>There’s a bit of a heatwave on the south coast at the moment and that has transferred up the mountain too. At 1800m (nearly 500m higher than Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain) it was 25c. At 1am!

Fabulous!

The sky low down is dusty and hazy and sunset was subdued compared to normal but when the stars came out it was amazing as usual. The Milky Way was so obvious it needed no introduction and young Luke was first to see it and dad Marcus got his first pictures of it.

Jupiter and Saturn looked magnificent in their respective constellations of Scorpio and Sagittarius and Luke’s brother Ellis got some great pictures of them with his dad’s mobile phone through our telescope. A budding astro photographer without a doubt.

Later in the night we watched the waning Moon rise majestically over a tree-topped ridge bathing the landscape in a cool white glow and casting shadows amongst the trees. We fitted Marcus’s camera to the telescope and got some shots to remember.

]]>http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/08/19/hot-on-the-mountain/feed/05520More shooting stars than ever before!http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/08/03/5513/
http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/08/03/5513/#respondSat, 03 Aug 2019 17:23:07 +0000http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/?p=5513We had a glorious night on the mountain last night with guests John, Charlie and Billy. The air was steady and as clear as I’ve seen it. After a stunning sunset accompanied by a one-day-old crescent Moon, we turned our attention to the stars and watched as more and more came out and the Milky … Continue reading "More shooting stars than ever before!"

]]>We had a glorious night on the mountain last night with guests John, Charlie and Billy. The air was steady and as clear as I’ve seen it. After a stunning sunset accompanied by a one-day-old crescent Moon, we turned our attention to the stars and watched as more and more came out and the Milky Way appeared. We counted 32 shooting stars and doubtless missed more but the highlight for me was Saturn. Under steady skies we were able to see its rings clearly and the Cassini Division was sharp and clear. Cloud bands were visible on the planet’s surface and we could also see Saturn’s five brightest moons – Titan, Rhea, Dione, Enceladus and Tethys. Titan, the giant moon is always an easy spot but to see the other 4 was a bonus, right down to Enceladus which is only 500km in diameter, at a distance of roughly 700 million miles, that’s pretty impressive! Saturn remains well positioned for observing for a few months yet.

]]>http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/08/03/5513/feed/05513Catch a falling star!http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/08/02/catch-a-falling-star/
http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/08/02/catch-a-falling-star/#respondFri, 02 Aug 2019 17:28:09 +0000https://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/?p=5510There are a couple of decent meteor showers underway and this next week is a great time to see them. A couple of nights ago we saw more than 20 in a couple of hours with two or three memorable ones. As the Moon is not favourable for the peak of the Perseids on the … Continue reading "Catch a falling star!"

]]>There are a couple of decent meteor showers underway and this next week is a great time to see them. A couple of nights ago we saw more than 20 in a couple of hours with two or three memorable ones. As the Moon is not favourable for the peak of the Perseids on the 13th / 14th August, now is the time to catch some!

]]>http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/08/02/catch-a-falling-star/feed/05510Busy, busyhttp://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/07/17/busy-busy/
http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/07/17/busy-busy/#respondWed, 17 Jul 2019 21:01:49 +0000http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/?p=5503We have received a lot of bookings of late and now find ourselves almost fully booked for the rest of year. If you’re still hoping to come with us we’d advise you book up asap as there are only a few dates left!

]]>We have received a lot of bookings of late and now find ourselves almost fully booked for the rest of year. If you’re still hoping to come with us we’d advise you book up asap as there are only a few dates left!

]]>http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/07/17/busy-busy/feed/05503Back to Tenerife after a breakhttp://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/07/17/back-to-tenerife-after-a-break/
http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/07/17/back-to-tenerife-after-a-break/#respondWed, 17 Jul 2019 20:58:47 +0000http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/?p=5496We got back to Tenerife yesterday and straight back up the mountain with guests Hilary and David for sunset and the partial eclipse of the Moon, the last eclipse for two years. It was a lovely evening and even the International Space Station made a flyby over the Moon and Saturn’s rings were also on … Continue reading "Back to Tenerife after a break"

]]>We got back to Tenerife yesterday and straight back up the mountain with guests Hilary and David for sunset and the partial eclipse of the Moon, the last eclipse for two years. It was a lovely evening and even the International Space Station made a flyby over the Moon and Saturn’s rings were also on view.

]]>http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/07/17/back-to-tenerife-after-a-break/feed/05496Impressive Omega Centaurihttp://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/05/23/impressive-omega-centauri/
http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/05/23/impressive-omega-centauri/#respondThu, 23 May 2019 13:54:12 +0000https://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/?p=5472One of the impressive southern targets we’ve been showing guests recently is Omega Centauri, a huge globular cluster of around 10 million stars. Astronomers believe there is a large black hole at the centre suggesting this it may have its origins as a galaxy rather than a globular cluster. Easily visible to the naked eye … Continue reading "Impressive Omega Centauri"

]]>One of the impressive southern targets we’ve been showing guests recently is Omega Centauri, a huge globular cluster of around 10 million stars. Astronomers believe there is a large black hole at the centre suggesting this it may have its origins as a galaxy rather than a globular cluster. Easily visible to the naked eye and comparable in size to a full Moon, it’s great in binoculars and even better through our large telescope. Here’s a picture we took last night while on the mountain with our deep sky imaging rig.

]]>http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/05/23/impressive-omega-centauri/feed/05472Half-term holidays, kids go free!http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/05/20/half-term-holidays-kids-go-free/
http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/05/20/half-term-holidays-kids-go-free/#respondMon, 20 May 2019 15:33:07 +0000http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/?p=5469While prices everywhere sky rocket to take advantage of families on school holiday breaks, ours don’t, in fact we are offering all children under the age of 16 go free! Treat your kids to a special experience they’ll never forget that will be educational as well. This coming half-term coincides with a favourable Moon and … Continue reading "Half-term holidays, kids go free!"

]]>While prices everywhere sky rocket to take advantage of families on school holiday breaks, ours don’t, in fact we are offering all children under the age of 16 go free! Treat your kids to a special experience they’ll never forget that will be educational as well. This coming half-term coincides with a favourable Moon and lots of exciting things to see in the sky.

]]>http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/05/20/half-term-holidays-kids-go-free/feed/05469Our latest guest reviewhttp://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/05/17/our-latest-guest-review/
http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/05/17/our-latest-guest-review/#respondFri, 17 May 2019 12:32:51 +0000https://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/?p=5463Benjamin and Bridget, May 2019 “Simon provided us with an exceptional stargazing evening during our recent stay in Tenerife. Simon was an extremely welcoming host who took care of all our needs, including specific dietary requirements. During our time stargazing, Simon’s passion and expertise for the night sky shone through as we made a series … Continue reading "Our latest guest review"

“Simon provided us with an exceptional stargazing evening during our recent stay in Tenerife. Simon was an extremely welcoming host who took care of all our needs, including specific dietary requirements.

During our time stargazing, Simon’s passion and expertise for the night sky shone through as we made a series of observations via the naked eye, binoculars and telescope.

]]>http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/05/17/our-latest-guest-review/feed/05463Our latest stargazing triphttp://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/05/15/our-latest-stargazing-trip/
http://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/2019/05/15/our-latest-stargazing-trip/#respondWed, 15 May 2019 13:37:32 +0000https://www.darkskiestenerife.co.uk/?p=5453We had lovely conditions on Monday evening with guests Benjamin and Bridget, a very mild 16c with barely a breath of wind. After a beautiful sunset we watched the stars come out and spotted Mars glowing orange to the south west. There were many satellites whizzing overhead and some flashing space junk too. After looking … Continue reading "Our latest stargazing trip"

]]>We had lovely conditions on Monday evening with guests Benjamin and Bridget, a very mild 16c with barely a breath of wind. After a beautiful sunset we watched the stars come out and spotted Mars glowing orange to the south west. There were many satellites whizzing overhead and some flashing space junk too. After looking at the Moon through binoculars we turned our attention to the two largest globular clusters the sky has to offer. First we looked at M13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules. The largest of the northern hemisphere clusters, on a less moonlit night you can make this out with the naked eye. Through the binoculars it’s an indistinct smudge of light but through the telescope it’s possible to resolve some of the outer stars and really see that it’s a ball of stars in space. Then we looked at Omega Centauri, the largest globular of them all and despite being a southern hemisphere object, something that is visible from Tenerife at this time of year. In fact, it’s so large that even with a 66% Moon, I could make it out with the naked eye. Omega Centauri contains as many as 10 million stars and through the telescope looks like a huge football of stars. One not to be missed. We then turned the telescope to the Moon and spent time looking at mountains casting shadows over the surface and into craters. We also looked at the general area where Apollo 11 landed 50 years ago this July. Benjamin and Bridget took a great picture of the Moon through the telescope with just a smartphone which is shown here. As Scorpio climbed in the east, Jupiter finally came into view. Through the binoculars we could make out three of the Galilean Moons but in the telescope we could make out all four, plus the horizontal cloud bands and also the Great Red Spot, a great end to a great night.